razor wire

Part of the razor wire being installed by Russian soldiers. (Interpressnews.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–The razor wire bundles along the de facto border will eventually be changed into wire-mesh fences, a spokesperson for the South Ossetian KGB’s press service told the online news service Caucasian Knot.

According to Wikipedia, razor wire blades are very sharp and made to rip and grab onto clothing and flesh. The blades are designed to inflict serious cuts on anyone attempting to climb through and therefore have a strong psychological deterrent effect.

“We are not considering any barriers that could cause harm to humans or animals. There will only be a wire-mesh fence and information signs,” the spokesperson said.

Fences are now installed for 35 km along the delineation line, primarily in areas that are adjacent to settlements, roads or other infrastructure, and construction of the fence is being led by South Ossetian de facto authorities and is done on the basis of documents and maps from the Soviet Union, according to the anonymous press spokesperson quoted by Caucasian Knot.

Razor wire bundles placed by Russian soldiers along the de facto border have caused interruption of people’s daily lives, as they some places cut through people’s property and agricultural land.

In the village Dvani, journalists rallied in September against the ‘borderization’, while students went to another affected village, Ditsi, and released balloons in October during a nationwide protest. The EU and NATO have expressed concern about the new fences.

Former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili has said that he believes the installation of barriers along the demarcation line is connected to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.